Overview
- State officials told the court that tests found E. coli in 51 tube wells in Bhagirathpura, and they linked the contamination to sewage entering the drinking supply through a pipeline leak near a public toilet.
- The government-appointed committee, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar Shukla, has one month to determine causes, fix accountability and recommend preventive measures.
- Authorities said all tube wells in the area were shut for potable use and water tankers were deployed, with testing and surveys continuing.
- Petitioners have called the bureaucrat-led panel an eyewash and sought a judicial probe and FIRs, while the court questioned how the contamination became fatal and prioritized immediate safe water and treatment.
- The death toll remains disputed, with the state reporting seven, a government medical audit linking 15, and residents citing about 25 deaths; compensation has been paid to 21 bereaved families.